PORTUGUESE worshippers in Jersey could be without a priest until next summer, the head of the Catholic Church in Jersey has warned.

Earlier this month Monsignor Nicholas France (pictured) was forced to hold a ‘clear the air’ meeting with Portuguese church-goers who claimed that they felt neglected following the departure of their priest, Father Jacomo Ferreira.

Following a meeting with a senior bishop in London this week, Msgr France said that the problem may not be resolved for many months – and the Island would have to share any priest with another diocese.

Speaking about the meeting with Bishop Antonio Vitalino Fernandes Dantas in London, he said: ‘The meeting was quite productive and the bishop was receptive and very concerned about our problems.

‘However, the situation will not be sorted out any time soon. We may not get a priest until next summer and when we do we will have to share him with other areas. We would perhaps only have him once a month.’

Bishop Vitalino, who has responsibility for Catholic migrants around the world, said that he would look into the problem once he had received a formal letter outlining the situation. The letter is likely to be written by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Crispian Hollis.

But he said that it was unlikely that a priest would spend as much time in the Island as Father Jacomo, who divided his responsibilities equally between Jersey and Bournemouth. It is believed that a priest would only spend one or two days a month in the Island.